VERNONIA EAGLE, VERNONIA, OREGON
MAIDEN V O Y A G E
Copyright, Kathleen Norris.
KATHLEEN NORRIS
CHAPTER XVIII—Continued
*—15 ■
"Where’d you get this?"
“She gave It to me. That’s Opps'
bandwriting; that was the model.”
Mr. Fitch held It In his hands for
a few seconds, considering it Then
he said, “Walt here a minute.”
Presently the managing editor
came back, and with him Mr. Ar-
noidson and a young man Intro
duced a “Mr. Phllliber.” The last
was a notary public.
“You say you got the Opps
Story?” Mr. Arnoldson said. Tony
quaked with happy pride and awe.
“You’re going to tell us only the
simple truth. Miss—Taft,” Arnold-
son said, pushing a comfortable re
volving chair toward her, “and so
you needn’t have the slightest un
easiness at Mr. Phllllber's taking
it down.”
She talked carefully, not exagger
ating. The surrender of the postal
card finished the story, and the no
tary indifferently asked her If she
would swear to It. Tony had done
this before. “To my share of it,”
she agreed.
“Well done, Miss Taft,” Mr. Ar
noldson said then, going away. Mr.
Fitch echoed the praise, and by this
Tony knew that they were extraor
dinarily exhilarated.
“Who’s got Opps' story?" Tony
asked, turning toward the city of
fice between Greeny and Mr. Fitch.
“That’s the Interesting part of it.
Miss Taft,” Frank Fitch exulted.
“No one has talked to Opps yet.
But we’ll get his story now fast
enough, without any trouble! She’s
squealed, and that’ll bring him right
into line.”
Tony stopped short, and the men
Stopped with her.
“You mean he hadn’t talked?"
“Nope. We thought it was best
to handle It this way,” Fitch said
complacently.
“Oh, but I lied to her,” Tony
began, in a hard voice.
“You got your story, and that's
all the Call expects of you,” Frank
Fitch said smoothly. “Thank you 1”
He closed his door.
She and Greeny were out in the
city room now. Tony looked at the
man voicelessly for a long minute.
“She’ll lose her job,’’ Tony said,
breathing hard.
“Oh, no, she won’t!”
"Greeny," the girl demanded,
bolding herself in, “is that fair?”
“Aw, shucks, what’s the dlff?"
Greeny pleaded. “That’s the way
Fitch has gotten where he is, and
he’s the smartest man in the busi
ness. There’s nobody can run a
story to earth the way Frank can.
Opps had no business to do it, and
If he gets hell for it, it’s coming to
him 1”
Tony went to her desk and sat
down. She felt sick. Indifferently
she tried to bring her mind to her
social notes; it was no use. She
had been absorbed in her assign
ment all afternoon; she had run
down his story for Fitch, whom she
despised, and in doing so bad in
jured, perhaps ruined, a harmless,
nervous, hard-working woman of
forty, who had believed in her and
listened to her and taken her ad
vice.
Tony sat brooding. Quite sud
denly taking the telephone, she
asked for Mr. Bellamy's office; she
must talk to him about IL
Mr. Bellamy was in Los Angeles
and would not be back until tomor
row. A dullness, a blankness
seemed to follow the announce
ment; Tony sat for a while with
her head in her hands.
Fitch had gotten her Into this;
Frank Fitch, whose morals were
the scandal of the office, had suave
ly deceived her into deceiving this
other woman 1 Antoinette Taft, who
had always prided herself upon be
ing honorable—fine—I
No, she
couldn't bear it
She seized a piece of paper and
slipped it into her typewriter.
"Dear Mr. Greenwood,” typed
Tony, her breath coming hard, her
eyes glittering and tearless with
anger. "Herewith I tender you my
resignation from the staff of the
Call. I want to thank you for all
your kindness to me, and to assure
you that no assignment you ever
gave me would have made me feel
this step necessary. Next week I will
come in and say good-by to you and
the boys, but tonight I am too much
upset by the disgraceful part I
played In today's assignment to be
able to do anything except go
home.”
She leaned over to Van Florence’s
desk and slipped the note to him.
“Give that to Greeny, will you
please?” she said unsteadily, “I'm
going home."
“Sure,” Van answered, not look
ing up. Tony went to the pegs
where hung her hat and coat and
took off her inky and rumpled
smock.
It was good-by to the
smock, and dirty wash-basins, and
the unspeakable roller towels; good-
by to the blue cigarette smoke, and
the clatter of typewriters and the
rumble of men’s voices; to Greeny
anxious, scowling, shirt - sleeved,
twisted in his chair with one leg up
over his desk, and to the clicking
machines on the A. P. desk, thq
press boys coming in sweaty and
grimed with trailers of galley proof,
and the rustle-rustle-rustle of all
the newspapers in all the world.
Was she acting like a fool? No,
Cliff and adorable, consoling, blun
dering old Brucle and Aung Meg
were very sure that she was not a
fool.
Having heard the whole story,
they applauded her, as she ate her
later supper; they told her that she
had been trapped into an Intoler
able position.
“The funny thing about a job is,”
Tony mused, "that when you're In,
“Aw,
Shucks, What’s the
Greeny Pleaded.
Biff?”
you feel so secure.
And when
you're out, and job-hunting, you
feel like a beggar again I”
“You’ll see, Tony. Greenwood’ll
send for you tomorrow,” said Aunt
Meggy.
“I’ll not go see him," Tony de
clared. But she knew In her heart
that she would. She was already
devoured with fear, regret, home
sickness.
•
••••••
The next day passed In dreamy
unreality. There was no word from
the Call Tony felt aimless; life
was quiet and flat She went down
WNU Service.
to the newspaper’s business office
and asked, hoping that the answer
would be in the negative, for her
pay envelope. It was there; a whole
week's pay, and no comment, no
letter.
Out In Market street again Tony
considered going to the other news
papers: there seemed to be noth
ing else to do. In both places she
had brief unsatisfactory conversa
tions with superior and uninterest
ed city editors; there were no va
cancies at the moment
She walked home somewhat de
pressed. The city was full of men
and women who had held newspa
per jobs and who had lost them.
The next day she washed her
hair and put her bureau in order.
Then she went to the Cutter funeral
with Aunt Meggy, and they walked
home with Aunt Sally. She left
Aunt Meggy there for dinner, and
went home to find that Clifford was
dining with his girl's family for the
first time, a great occasion for Cliff.
“I want to tip you off,” Cliff said,
tying his white tie. “It’s going to
be Mary Rose Bly. Fixed it up Sun
day.”
“Clifford Taft—Oh, I am glad!”
Tony exulted, getting up to kiss
him. “You would pick a girl with
money.”
“She hasn’t got so much money.”
Cliff smiled at himself in the glass;
life was going well with him, with
all the Tafts.
“We’re sitting
pretty 1”
fjjie and Bruce had a quiet dinner
and he went early to bed. Tony
thought that she would put out the
lamps and sit and look out at the
roofs and at Twin Peaks washed
in moonshine, and wait for Aunt
Meg to come home.
The bell rang sharply; the hall
bell. Tony went to the door. And
it was Larry Bellamy who stood
there.
“Tony!" he said. “I want to see
you. May I come in?”
“Come in,” she said, her heart
rising on a great bound of joy and
hope.
Larry flung aside his cap and
coat and sat down, drawing bls
chair close to hers as he did so,
catching both her hands in his big
cold ones.
“Tony, what’s all this about? I’m
just in. Ruth and I flew up by air
plane this afternoon. Down at the
office they’re all upset over this.
Greeny was tearing his hair. What
happened? My dear, my dear, you
can't run out on us like thatl”
It was heaven, after these end
less lonely days, to have him here
beside her, warm and brown and
eager and affectionate, to realize
that she had made her mark as a
newspaper woman after all.
He listened to the whole story
attentively as she poured it out,
taking it step by step.
“Larry, was that fair? Was that
decent? To let me drag Miss Wal-
lister into It, poor thing—she was
fighting every step of the way—
and then to tell me that I’d made
her betray ber boss?”
"No, it was rotten,” Larry sarj
briefly, as she paused.
“And then that smug pig of a
Fitch!” Tony stormed on bitterly.
“How dares he—how dares he in
volve me in his dirty tricks!”
“I agree with you,” said Larry.
“But yoli can’t give up your job on
his account That’d be to honor
him too much. Tony, don't be a
fool about this,” Larry pleaded.
“You’ve got a good job and a good
chance with us. Fitch may be out
any day: nobody else knows that
so keep it under your hat Now,
you cool down, and I’ll straighten
It all out Greeny's mad with ex
citement over the whole thing; be
a sport now, Tony, and don’t throw
us all down just because—”
Tony had walked to the window.
She was thrilled beyond all her
wildest dreams and hopes by Lar
ry’s tone, by his consternation at
the mere idea that she could resign.
But whenever the memory of the,
complacent and suave Fitch revived
her pride rose again.
“It’s my honor, Larry 1" she said,
with trembling lips.
He was standing at the window
beside her, and as she raised her
heavy, brooding eyes they met his.
“I’ve never seen you like this,
Tony," Larry said gently.
“I’m not often like this.”
“Come back, Tony,” he said.
There was a silence.
“Oh, I want to come back,
Larry!” she confessed, on a long
sigh, without turning her head. For
a minute they stood looking out to
gether at the jumbled blur of red
and gold lights that were the city.
Then suddenly Larry’s arms were
about her, and Tony’s heart leaped
as if it would burst its bounds; the
familiar room in the mild lamp
light was rocking dizzily; and all
thought was gone, and all reason.
There were only the swimming mad
ness of her senses, and the touch
of him, the sound of bls voice low
and quick and incoherent in her
ear.
“I’m human, you know," Larry
said, breathless. “I’m—I’m human.
My beautiful girl—my beautiful—
beautiful Tony!”
Drinking deep of the wine too
strong for human souls and hearts
to bear, Tony rested her cheek
against his own hard cheek, locked
her slender arm about his neck, and
murmured only his name, over and
over again: “Larry, Larry, Larry.”
And for a while that was enough.
Presently she said:
“When did you know?”
“I’ve always known.”
“And you knew how I felt?”
“I suspected, I suppose.”
“You didn’t have to suspect; I
told you. I went blubbering up to
your office and practically made you
offers of marriage. Bendy’s wed
ding day, remember?”
“Remember? My God, what do you
think I'm made of? Every minute
of that talk we had was like whips
—like fire—”
There was a long silence of com
plete ecstasy; they murmured
again, and again bls lips were hard
against hers.
“Larry.”
“Tony.”
“Where do we go from here?”
He did not answer. She felt his
Ups against her hair.
CHAPTER XIX
’S lovely drawing room
I N the RUTH
shades had been drawn
against the hot spring sunlight that
was descending in the west; the
tea table had been placed at the
north windows that opened on the
little awnlnged balcony. When Tony
arrived there were only two per
sons in the room: Ruth and the
marvelous Mrs. Polhemus. She was
younger than Ruth, not more than
thirty, handsome and dark and
striking, with coral Ups and black
shining hair and an ivory skin.
“Oh, just ourselves?" Tony said
smilingly, as she was Introduced.
“I thought it was a party!"
"It was going to be,” Ruth said,
raising her face for Tony’s kiss.
"But now it's just Caroline and
Joe and you and me.”
“Joe?” Tony echoed, pleased.
“My brother, you know,” Caro
line Polhemus said.
“Of course I I'd forgotten.” Tony
sat down in a basket chair, pant
ing a little, and said, “This is
country weather.”
“We’re showing Caroline Del
Monte tomorrow."
“Ah, you’ll love It I’m going
down Sunday to see my sister and
the baby, and for Joe’s housewarm
ing, of course!"
“We'll see you, then. You couldn’t
dine with us at the hotel on Sun
day night?”
“Ruth, I'd love it But I’ll tell
you. I don't know just how I’ll find
things at Bendy’s. She has no
nurse, and she may have made some
plan—"
It didn't sound extremely con
vincing, and Tony had an Idea that
Caroline Polhemus was looking
right through her. But Ruth only
said, unsuspectingly:
Well, come if you can.
“I hear my perfectly good hus
band called on you the night we
got back from Los Angeles last
week," said Ruth.
“Not last week, the week be
fore.” Tony smiled at the long cold
glass of Iced tea In her hand. “I
resigned from the Call In a tant
rum,” she explained, “and Larry
came and cleared it up.”
"She certainly is beautiful," Car
oline Polhemus thought “I wonder
If she’s always so nervous. She
was as pale as a ghost when she
came In, and now she's got high
color. Blue eyes and that dark
hair—I do beg your pardon, I’m
sorry 1” she Interrupted her thoughts
“Well, Come If You Can.”
to apologize, finding Tony’s eyes
fixed on her expectantly. “I didn’t
hear what you were saying, Miss
Taft I think,” Caroline went on,
smiling, “I think I was trying to
fit you to all the pictures my broth
er has been drawing of you In his
letters,” she said.
"Joe is—enthusiastic,” Tony ob
served.
“Why doesn’t she love Joe?” the
visitor speculated, as Tony and
Ruth began a little murmured con
versation of their own.
“I ought to be going this mo
ment,” Tony finished, putting down
her empty glass. She stood up. “I’ll
see you positively at the house
warming, and maybe Sunday?” she
was saying, when Joe Vanderwall
came in. Tony's eyes went to the
door; her color wavered.
He kissed his sister; kissed Ruth.
“What's the rush, Tony?”
“No rush. But I’ve been here
half an hour, and I'm supposedly
doing the fluff of the loan exhibi
tion."
“Is it any good, Tony? Oh, sit
down again, nothing will be going
on there until half-past five, and
it’s just five now.”
“They say it’s good." Tony took
her chair again; a slender figure in
a white suit, with a white hat and
white shoes.
The door clicked, and again her
breath rose suffocatingly against
her heart. It was old Mrs. Patter
son. No escape for another ten
minulcs now.
“When do you sail, Mrs. Polhe
mus?”
“I was sailing on the sixth, on
the Empress of Japan. But now
I'm trying to persuade Ruth to go
with me, and I'd wait over a boat
for her.”
“Ruth, why not?” her mother
asked, surprised and Interested.
“Ob, Mother, thousands of rea
sons—Larry."
“I should think It would be a
lovely trip for you,” the older wom
an protested mildly.
“Ah-h-h I” Ruth said.
“Here b
Larry I”
(TO BE CONTINUED)